FIA race director and head of the F1 technical department, Charlie Whiting, believes McLaren-Honda exploited the rules during the Belgian Grand Prix.
The team chose to install new engines on Friday, forcing them to start from the back of the grid as Jenson Button and Fernando Alonso received 25 and 30 place penalties respectively.
However on the Saturday the team switched out the new engines for yet another new engine in both cars, despite there being nothing wrong with the previous units. That incurred a further drop on the grid of 50 places, but as they were already starting at the back, the additional penalties were effectively useless.
Meanwhile the rules allow them to switch between the two engines (those used on Friday and those used on Saturday) at future races without incurring a grid-penalty.
Had they done what they did prior to a change in the rules, they would have faced in-race penalties, effectively exploiting a loophole in the rules, one which Whiting warned could happen.
“The FIA had expressed such concerns to the Strategy Group,” Whiting told Auto Motor und Sport.
“However, we had the feeling that the negative comments from almost all parties concerning the harsh penalty system with additional penalties in the race was damaging the sport even more.
“Of course the rule was written in good faith, not to give the incentive to do what Honda did.”
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